Cult of the Sacred Detonation
The Cult of the Sacred Detonation (informally referred to as Boomism) is a branch of Cedrism which focuses, to the point of monomania, on explosions and their natural beauty. Originated in the Audentior Independent Nation under the auspices of Lukedu and was subsequently absorbed into the mythos of the Imperial Republic. One consequence of this is that one of the more prominent religious festivals is known, prosaically, as La Fiesta de la Boom.
Antiquarians have previously claimed that Cedrism was an offshoot religion of Boomism. In 1643, Kaiser Dominus informed all concerned that they are quite in error regarding this assumption and that, most importantly, they are never to repeat it, on pain of his marked disapproval towards them.
During the 1703 Council of Negrixnaht, it was agreed that four bailiwicks and three cities, devastated by the Scouring, would be given over to the jurisdiction of the cult's scattered ecclesiarchy as a quasi-Governorate in return for their commitment upholding certain customs endemic to their new lands. These sites have since begun to see a coalescence of Boomist pilgrims and opportunistic cult priests into what has been collectively dubbed the See of the Radiant Revelation under the guidance of the titular body which has come to be recognized as the de facto governing authority in the ruined lands assigned to them.
Spiritualism
The Cult of the Sacred Detonation believes in a pantheon of powerful aspects of Agni within who control the forces of nature and hold sway over the fate of humanity. The most prominent deities include:
- The Great Detonator, the supreme god of destruction and chaos, who is said to have created the universe through the power of his own explosion.
- The Mother of Flame, the goddess of fire and destruction, who is said to have birthed the Great Detonator and is the source of all fiery destruction in the world.
- The Keeper of the Flame, the god of fire and light, who is said to guard the eternal flame that burns at the heart of the universe.
- The Lord of Thunder, the god of storms and lightning, who is said to wield the power of the skies and control the weather.
- The Lady of the Wind, the goddess of air and change, who is said to control the winds and guide the movements of the air.
Together, these deities form the unique sub-pantheon of the Cult of the Sacred Detonation, and are worshiped and venerated by its followers. Through their devotion and sacrifice, the followers of the Cult hope to gain the favor of these powerful deities and receive their blessings.
Booming Justice
In the decade following the Cult's ascent to power, it saw a marked increase in popularity in the area surrounding the Sovereign Confederation, where the Mithui was courting Cult leadership in hopes of a political alliance with them and their growing flock. One symptom of this popularity was the admission of three Cult priests as observers in the Mithui during it's tenure as the body commissioned for the Panopticon of the union-state. As they do not believe in bureaucracy, the access the elected priests suddenly had to potentially sensitive materials regarding all subjects of the Union gave them pause. Ultimately it was decided that Panopticon Reports sent to the would be burned en-mass and combed through later to allow the combustive will to be known; this led to later reports being printed on paper containing a high dosage of asbestos fiber. Those whose files remain intact are deemed suspect and are investigated further. Those not vindicated in these investigations are all invariably sentenced to community service in the radiant pool at the mouth of the Kingsweep, where teams in mobile extraction rigs process the polluted radioactive wastewater. A rather unique but effective interrogation practice the cult employs in these investigations involved the inquisitor threatening to explode themselves if the defending party refused to confess. The success of these methods is owed to their fanatical consistency in honoring such threats.
